The Crows
by Spiderlord88
Summary: There was a reason why a certain flock of crows helped a certain baby elephant with big ears when they heard his tragic story... this is their story.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Dumbo or anything related to it. Dumbo belongs to Walt Disney Productions

_**The Crows**_

_Prologue_

It began with the birds… the children of the sky. Humans could keep the earth and fish could stick to the water… the sky was freedom. The birds of prey such as the owls and the falcons were considered the wisest and the strongest, so they were the rulers of the sky. It was believed that the sky was more prosperous than the earth below.

But the earth was prosperous once… and like the earth of old, peace in the sky would not last.

Not too long ago, a new species of bird appeared… their feathers were as black as soot and their ways of accomplishing things were different from the other birds. They were crows. At first, no one knew what to make of these newcomers, there was no species of the like before. They were not doing any harm, so the crows would have been accepted… had the planes not took to the skies.

Not long after the crows arrived, the humans had created huge machines that granted them flight. The birds began to fear that the humans would try to steal the sky away from them. It also seemed too much of a coincidence that a few months after the crows appeared, the humans now knew the power of flight. From that day forward, the crows were considered an ill omen. Whenever a crow was spotted, they would be avoided like the plague.

Years later, it got worse. Food was being stolen everywhere, not only from birds but humans and other animals as well. Whenever a farm was robbed of its crops, a crow would always be spotted near the scene. Humans grew more antagonistic towards birds and would shoot them on sight if they came anywhere near the fields. The birds were just as enraged, not only where they nearly starving, but the earth and sky were virtually at war now… and all fault seemed to point at the crows.

The crows were considered an enemy to birds and were forbidden from any of their societies. Any crow who refused to leave was sentenced to death. But even after they were gone, food continued to disappear. As far as the birds were concerned, the crows were merely signing their death warrant…

What the birds did not know is that the crows were actually puzzled as to what was happening. Whoever was behind this was the reason that the crows were punished so unjustly. It seemed that no one would truly know what happened… until the January the 1st 1941…


	2. The Bird Council

Chapter 1

The Bird Council

Alba, the barn owl was to speak before the Bird Council. Every month, the birds of the world would flock to a giant tree on top of a mountain to discuss current affairs. Alba was one of the few birds that believed that the banishment of the crows without trial was unjust and that they should be allowed back into society. Unfortunately, they were a minority and Alba did not know how she was going to win against Lord Otus.

Lord Otus, the Long-eared owl was Royal Advisor to King Strix, and despite his dour, pompous personality he had a certain knack for making the king and everybody else doubt anything that sounded remotely close to change. He was rarely seen out of his usual political attire nor without Beak, a woodpecker who served as his butler, chauffeur and aide and was probably about as humourless as his master.

Alba perched on a branch before the council, took a deep breath and spoke, "Birds from around the globe. It's been little more than a century since the crows were banished from our societies. They had no choice but above all they had no trial."

"Thank you, Miss Alba," said Lord Otus. "I am sure that you mean well, but I think we need to be realistic and realise that once you have been proven guilty, a trial is pointless."

"But the course of justice has been wrong before," said Alba. She knew that Otus would say something along those lines, so she had been ready for that one, but she was not ready for what came next.

Lord Otus eyed her contemptuously and said, "Let me make one thing clear, we are not humans and the mere suggestion that our justice is as moronic as theirs is as unthinkable as it is insulting."

He looked towards his party. His party had a few owls and falcons within it, but it consisted mostly of pigeons, who were not the brightest of birds. Why, you may ask, would Lord Otus throw his lot in with those incompetent fools when all they are known for is their incoherent warbling? But that was Lord Otus's tactic. Pidgeons always followed the crowd… and the crowd followed Otus. Pigeons always warbled whenever they agreed with anything Otus said, and not only did it mean that Otus was winning but it drowned out any opposing argument. Already the pigeons were starting to whisper amongst themselves.

"And we must remember that it was not too long after the crows appeared that humans somehow learnt how to fly."

"Superstition was great back then," said Alba. "If you want us to be realistic, Otus, then we should move on from those days and…"

"I will be addressed by my title," snarled Otus. "And frankly, I am appalled that you would speak of our ancestors in this way."

Almost as if they had been trained to do it on cue, the pigeons warbling began to intensify. Otus somehow had the uncanny ability to speak over the pigeons warbling, "They knew what they were doing when they banished those filthy creatures to where they belong… away from our society. They still steal despite the pain of death they were banished under and they have never made a move to prove their innocence. Surely child that is a sign of guilt."

The pigeons warbled so loud it was anyone's guess how Otus made himself heard.

"This brings me to my own proposal. Our banishment of the crows was a mere sign of leniency, but they have taken advantage of our tolerance long enough. The time has come to remove the threat of these abominations permanently." The pigeons warbled yet again. "My chief supporter is none other than General Span."

A huge falcon in military uniform swooped down from the branch he was perched on and joined Lord Otus.

"My fellow birds. This has been a war lifetimes in the waging. Showing the enemy mercy was the only real mistake we've made. But the time to right this wrong is at hand. Let us remember the age old proverb, "_The sky is freedom." _We will defeat this enemy, and this proverb will mean something to all birds once again."

It was not just the pigeons that warbled in agreement. Every owl, falcon and bird hooted, screeched or tweeted so loud, it was impossible to hear anything else.

Alba bowed her head. She knew she had lost. Otus and Span walked past Beak.

"Very good sir. Your speech left me speechless."


	3. Brock

Chapter 2

Brock

Many miles away from the Council Tree, not too far from civilisation, was the Dark Forest. It was everything your typical Dark Forest had, leafless trees, wolves howling in the distance and… crows. Perhaps the birds thought this was a befitting place to banish the crows because they were rarely seen anywhere else.

Tragedy had hit the crows. Their leader had died in his sleep. It had happened suddenly and without warning. He had had no children when he was alive nor did he have any heirs. So there was only one thing to do… elect a new leader

The crows knew that it would not be long before the other birds would call war upon them. The time had come for a leader who was not afraid to take action… one who would lead them into battle… and Brock was the incontrovertible choice.

Brock was a young and strong crow, but he was a capable thinker. Once a wolf had attacked him before he could get off the ground in time but he had kept a calm head and pecked the back of his throat… although he never thought about the amount of times he would have to wash himself afterwards.

The whole flock of crows had gathered to listen to Brock. He flew down to the branch from where he would make his speech.

"My brothers and sisters, first off, I am honoured to have been chosen amongst others to lead us into the future. You all know that Lord Otus has ordered a state of emergency to birds around the globe, placing all crows under arrest. The sky is no longer freedom. For too long have we hidden from oppression, too long have we stayed in these woods with barely enough food. I have seen the birds do things to us crows that would chill the blood. Crows have died pointlessly simply because those pompous idiots fear what they don't understand like a simple-minded human. No more. We will take action, we will be free again… my brothers… this is war."

The forest echoed with the caws of agreement that followed

Author's Note: I am sorry for the delay. Complications in my professional life arose but now I'm on top of them and I promise to try and avoid these complications in future.


	4. Those Darn Loafers

Chapter 3

Those Darn Loafers

Preparations were being made for the war. Brock wanted to make sure that no crow was left without anything to do. Any mother crow who had chicks, eggs or was expecting eggs were given office duty, so that the future of crows would at least be preserved if the war was a disaster. Brock wasted no time in calling up new recruits. If he only knew what he was in for…

"Lieutenant, any luck finding new recruits?"

"I'm afraid so, my lord," said the lieutenant nervously.

"What do you mean 'you're afraid so?'" said Brock sternly "We need every crow doing all they can for our course."

"I know my lord," said the lieutenant. "But you're not gonna like this…"

Brock took the list from his lieutenant and read. At first he could not see any potential trouble… until he reached five names that made his eyes bulge and his beak drop.

"Oh no… please, by the ravens… NOOO!"

Almost as if on cue, five crows flew down in front of Brock. The first crow was small and wore a red jumper, a grey sailor hat and thick rimmed glasses, the second crow was tall and wore a green waistcoat, a large green hat and thin rimmed glasses, the third crow was fat and wore a red waistcoat and a small green hat, the fourth crow was of average height and wore a blue and red shirt and topless straw hat that went over his eyes and the fifth one was of a similar build to Brock, wore a blue jacket and a red hat, and smoked a cigar.

"Ah, Brock, my brother," said the crow in the blue jacket. "Where do we sign in?"

"Well… I… I don't think…"

"Oh, please," said the crow in the green waistcoat. "Don't act like you're not pleased to see us."

Brock could not believe this… Jim, Timmy, Izzy, Harry and Tommy were signing. His hopes now reached an ultimate low… those five were the laziest crows he had ever thought to be in existence. Nearly every time you caught Izzy, he was asleep with his straw hat over his eyes and whenever you caught Tommy he was eating constantly. Harry was undoubtedly the smartest of the five crows, but he could only seem to think of excuses for not hauling his tail feathers. Timmy, for his credit, seemed to want to make something of himself, but Brock would have been impressed if he had the courage of his convictions. And Jim… well… his attitude said it all. To their credit, they were good jazz singers, but unfortunately Brock's battle strategy was not to sing Otus and Span's forces to death.

"Look… Jim…" said Brock hesitantly. "I appreciate that you wish to have some purpose in battle but…"

"Look , fellas," said Timmy. "I'm not sure Brock wants us to join…"

"Nah, don't be ridiculous," said Tommy. "Of course, he wants us to join. He's so speechless, look at him."

Indeed, he was.

"I'd like to risk life, beak and tail feather for my fellow crow," said Izzy patriotically, a word used very loosely. "I wanna do sentry duty, out in the open, risking death."

Death to himself, or death to his fellow crow… what was the bigger nightmare, facing the war that is to come or the concept of these five bunglers joining their ranks. But he said quite clearly, that every crow must have something to do, and he had to honour that.

"Alright," said Brock. "Go over to that tree over there and we will give you your duties later."

"You won't regret this brother," said Jim cheerfully.

"If I could just make one suggestion," said Brock. "Put that cigar out, please."

"With respect, my lord," said Jim. "You're starting to sound like Timmy."

The five crows flew to the tree laughing.

"Those darn loafers…" groaned Brock. "Why did it have to be those darn loafers?"


	5. King Strix

Chapter 4

King Strix

Lord Otus had been waiting for this day for a long time, the day he revealed his master plan to King Strix. He, General Span and Beak were waiting for the king to see them. Lord Otus had high hopes for this meeting. Owls were known for the stereotype of being the wisest of all birds, and as far as the birds of the globe were concerned, Otus was wisdom incarnate. Some birds have said that Otus should have been king, but he had said with the utmost "modesty," that he only lived to serve his king. Of course, anyone who knew Otus intimately, knew that he meant that ruling the birds of the globe through the king was more fun.

A falcon flew down to them and eyed them for a second.

"You are Lord Otus and General Span?" he said in an imposing voice.

"No, I'm a duck in a sailor suit," snarled Otus.

"My lord, with respect," said Span. "Yes, we are Lord Otus and General Span."

"Okay," said the guard. "But I must know who the woodpecker is…"

"He is my valet," said Lord Otus. "And I must respectfully insist that he comes with us."

"You're too kind my lord," said Beak.

"You don't expect the king to serve us lunch, do you?" sneered Otus.

The guard lead Otus, Span and Beak to a hole in the tree. Inside, a short Tawny owl was waiting for them.

"My Lord Otus," said King Strix. "My trusted adviser. I take it you wish to see me."

"My once and only wish is to serve thee, your Majesty," said Otus.

"General Span," said Strix. "I am grateful to have you with us."

"Thank you, your Majesty," said Span.

"Oh, please, have a seat," said Strix.

"You are grace incarnate, my liege," said Otus as he sat down. "Beak, bring us some refreshments and be quick about it."

"Of course, my lord," said Beak. "When this meeting is over, would you wish of me to carry you back to your tree?"

General Span chuckled briefly, but he remembered his place quickly.

"That won't be necessary, Beak," said Otus. "Although it'll depend on how strong my bad wing is."

"By your wish, my lord," said Beak. Otus could dish out sarcasm at its best, but he was never good at picking up on it. Beak left without another word.

"Now, Lord Otus," said the king. "I trust you wish to discuss your plan of action."

"Ah yes," said Otus. "No doubt the crows will be mobilizing against us soon. According to the sentries that Span has set up on the borders of the Dark Forest, the crows have not made a move… yet."

"We plan to launch an assault on the Dark Forest," said Span, unveiling a map of the Dark Forest. "The strategy is to attack from the sky, near the ground and just under the trees, from all sides of the forest. If the crows are smart… they will surrender."

"Of course, that is just the beginning," said Otus unveiling another scroll. "No matter who our enemies are, we must not have the blood of chicks on our wings. Which is precisely why I have drawn up the blueprints for a camp to help educate them in our ways."

Span looked towards Otus. "Camp? What do you…?"

"Your Majesty, it is the more honourable alternative to slaying them in cold blood," said Otus.

"And we've all got by on the ways of the true bird," said Beak who reappeared at the hole with a tray of biscuits.

Strix looked at a portrait on the wall. A beautiful tawny stared out from the picture.

"We all knew it would come to this sooner or later," continued Otus. "Think of our future, please."

"Granddad," came a small voice. It was a small owl chick, who was holding a piece of paper in his wing. "I drew a picture of General Span." Indeed he had, it was remarkably close to the real thing considering it was drawn with crayons. He noticed then that his grandfather wasn't alone. "Oh sorry."

"No Tawn, it's alright," said Strix gently taking the picture from his grandson. "Oh, Lord Otus, General Span, I'm not sure if you've met my grandson Tawn."

"Yes I believe we have," said Otus. "I remember because Beak had volunteered so kindly to baby-sit when the young prince was a month old."

"It was an enjoyable experience to work with children," droned Beak. "It did mean a buying a new suit, but it was a sacrifice worth making for royalty."

Strix smiled, he knew that was true because he remembered paying for the suit as a way of saying thank-you.

"I'll play with you in a minute," whispered Strix. "Just go up to your room for a while."

As soon as Tawn was out of ear-shot, the king looked at Otus and Span.

"I ask you only to do what is both necessary and within the boundaries of our honour, as you have rightly said, Otus, we must not have the blood of chicks on our wings."

Otus bowed, Span did the same and left.

A few miles from the kings tree, Span flew alongside to Otus.

"Lord Otus, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"Of course, General," said Otus. "Beak, fly on ahead we'll catch you up."

"As you wish," replied Beak.

They landed on a fence. Span turned to face Otus.

"Otus, why wasn't I told about your plan to for a re-education camp?

"Oh, please Span," said Otus almost dramatically. "Don't use that term, it makes us sound like humans."

"But that is what you're planning."

"Span, my dear boy," said Otus in a tone that was obviously supposed to sound reassuring. "We're not using weapons or torture devices, that's the sort of brutality humans would resort to. Think of it as giving crows a shot at redemption in an otherwise unforgiving world."

"That still doesn't answer my question," said Span and by the look on his face he was not going to allow for stalling much longer. "Why didn't you tell me what you were planning? That's all I wanna know."

Otus paused for a moment and replied, "General… you're right, maybe I should have let you in on a few minor details, but I just didn't want you to get bogged down with all the fineprint, paperwork, planning… the boring stuff."

"Sometimes, my lord, the boring stuff is all part of duty."

"Oh, please, Span, try to be a little grateful, I wanted you to appreciate this."

"How do you know I would have wanted it in the first place."

There was a tense silence. Otus's eyes were narrowed.

"My ancestors have been serving royalty ever since birds first took to the sky. You falcons merely reach your peaks by promotion. I don't want us to fall out over this, General, I chose you especially because you are one of the most noble falcons in our recorded history, if not the most noble falcon, but if you can't remember your place for the good of yourself, then remember it for the good of everything you stand for."

The two birds of prey looked each other in the eye for a brief moment, until Span lowered his head.

"My Lord… I apologise."

"Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow at sunrise."

Otus took off and headed after Beak. Span took a deep breath, exhaled, and took off in the opposite direction.


	6. That's Just Dandy

Chapter 5

That's Just Dandy

Jim, Tommy, Harry, Izzy and Timmy were waiting on that branch for what must have been two hours. Any normal crow probably would have complained by now, but not these guys. Jim had learnt from his father that no matter what life throws at you, keep laughing and your brothers will laugh as well.

For some reason Jim's mother only had just the one egg, but she had always insisted that he was one in a million. He always had an optimistic view of life, a positive attribute rarely found in the Dark Forest. He always called his best friends his brothers, something that meant everything to his very best friend Tommy. Before he had hatched, rats had plundered his nest. By the time his mother had returned, Tommy's egg was the only one left. He had found this out when he first became an adult, his mother could hide it no longer. Tommy had been so saddened that he had taken to overeating, but Jim had been there for him, telling him exactly what his father had told him. From that time on, Jim and Tommy had been the best of friends.

"Well, hello" said Izzy. "Is that Fay a-comin' this way?"

A slender female crow landed on a branch in front of them.

"'Scuse me darlin'," said Izzy taking off his straw hat. "Would you like a war hero to help build your nest?"

Fay looked at Izzy humourlessly and said, "Izzy, I'm sure you have honourable intentions, ("I don't think," she thought to herself) "but the war hasn't even started, so unless you've performed any acts of bravery in life, I'm afraid I'll have to pass you up on that offer." She spread her wings and took off.

"What about…?"

"Flying into wolf territory to save that wreck of a hat doesn't count," she called back. Izzy stared after her disappointedly.

"Well that went well," said Tommy.

"Where did it go wrong?" said Izzy. "She was within my grasp."

"You'll get it one day," said Harry kindly. "What's comin' across to her is that you see finding a mate in life as somethin' you can just cast aside when you get bored, you just gotta show her how far you're ready to go for her."

"Just like someone did for me," came a female voice and there stood the most beautiful crow you could ever hope to see. She wore a beautiful sky blue dress and her eyes as blue as a cloudless sky.

"Well, if it ain't my Judy," said Jim who immediately flew over to her.

"And if it ain't my big Jim Dandy," she replied. The two crows flew around one another three times and hugged in midair. Almost as if by magic, they floated back down onto the branch and stared into one another's eyes.

"I've come to wish you luck," she said simply.

"Papa," came a chorus of voices. Almost out of nowhere came three crow chicks.

"Paddy, Donna, Frank," cried Jim in delight. He hugged each one as he spoke their names.

"Looks like the kids have come to see you off as well," smiled Judy.

"I don't know what to say young ones," said Jim.

"Say the family motto, Papa," the chicks said in chorus.

"Okay, kiddoes," said Jim raising himself up to his full height. "You live your life by good deeds…"

"THAT'S JUST DANDY!" shouted Jim, Judy, Tommy, Harry, Izzy, Timmy and the chicks in unison. Jim was happy to be a husband and father. He was also happy to have four of the best friends a crow could ask for. All the other birds could keep their overrated sky, there was nothing else he wanted more.

Fay flew back towards them. She cleared her throat and said, "Brock will see you now."

"We'll be there in a sec," called Jim. He turned to his beloved Judy and they hugged.

"I love you, Jim," she said softly.

"I love you too darlin'," he replied.

He turned back to his friends and they flew after Fay.

"I love you too, darlin'," laughed Tommy. "Oh, the heartbreak…"

"Ah, quit squawkin'," laughed Jim.

"Couldn't agree more," called Fay. "Quiet in ranks."

"She's a doll when she's mad," whispered Izzy.

Jim looked over at Timmy. He looked nervous.

"Why the long beak, brother," asked Jim. "You've been quiet."

"I'm fine," said Timmy. "Really."

Without another word, they flew on to Brock's tree.


	7. Happy Hearted Roustabouts

Chapter 6

Happy Hearted Roustabouts

The five friends landed on the branches of Brocks tree where the king of crows himself was waiting.

"So what's happenin' brother?" asked Jim almost immediately.

Brock was slightly taken aback but remembered himself, "I've asked you here to tell you your duty in this fight. You are to be our scout unit in the area of Florida, Georgia and Carolina. Your duties are to scout that area for anything that suggests that Otus and Span's forces are moving and report back to the Forest immediately."

"Well, that sounds like a worthwhile job," said Harry.

"But, you must be careful, Span will have falcons scouting that region as well. If you see them, get out of sight as fast as you can… and make sure you see them before they see you."

"Understood, O' King Crow," You will not regret this." called Jim and they took off without another word. Brock and his lieutenants watched them fly out off sight.

"Well that should keep those loafers out of our feathers," spoke up one.

"Lieutenant," said Brock sternly. "I sent them out, because I believe that's where their uses lie. This could be their chance to truly show us what they're made of." He looked at his lieutenants and they looked rather guilty for what they said. "Although I gotta admit, It's gonna be rather quiet without them, so lets get back to our plan of action."

On the other side of the forest, Jim and the other crows were flying out of the forest faster than anyone had ever seen them fly. What they could not know was that in a tree about 10 yards from where they were, two falcons had seen them take off.

"Should we take them?" asked one.

"No," answered the other who was clearly the superior of the two. "Remember what Lord Otus said, if the crows make a move, we report it to him as soon as possible.

"But I thought General Span was in charge," said the first falcon.

"Well things are working a bit differently now. Now, find some more falcons to watch this side of the forest. Once we do that, we'll meet Lord Otus at the old mill."

"The old mill?" inquired the first falcons.

"Ask no questions."

The crows flew on for a few moments. Jim only just realised that this was the first time he had been out in the open air. He nearly forgot why he was out there, the air on his face was like something he'd never felt before.

"So boss, what are your orders?" asked Tommy.

"Okay boys, this should be where we split off. Timmy, Izzy you check out Georgia, Tommy, Harry you go on to Carolina, it's quite a ways away but you can make it. I'll go to Florida."

"Are you sure you wanna go alone, brother?" said Tommy with genuine worry in his voice.

"I'll be okay, just stick to the plan."

So the five crows split off.

Timmy and Izzy flew all day towards Georgia. Izzy was renowned for being the laziest crow of the bunch, so he'd never flown this far in his life, he would give anything for a nap in the sun. Timmy on the other hand was happy to be outside. Being the smallest crow, he always had trouble making himself heard, but outside he felt like his own boss, that no one could order him around. Except, perhaps, the weather…

It was night time when it happened. A huge raindrop landed on Timmy's huge glasses. He looked up and saw that dark clouds were overhead. This was an awkward situation as Timmy could not see without his glasses, and the rain was sure to obscure his vision.

"Izzy, we're gonna have to land," he called as a rumble of thunder sounded.

"Okay, head for that crevice," called Izzy.

There was a crevice in a small rock, just near the train station and Izzy and Timmy took shelter under just as the weather worsened. Izzy stretched and immediately made himself comfortable. Timmy however was fascinated with what was going on outside. A train had just pulled up a few yards away. It was clearly a circus train because it had a colourful design. He watched as the elephants, camels, giraffes and other animals were lead down from their carriages. Timmy couldn't help noticing that the humans that were disembarking from the train were different in appearance. One set of humans were normal pale humans that every crow was familiar with, but another set of humans were darker in skin. The moment the black men were out of their carriage, the more flamboyantly dressed of the pale ones immediately began giving orders.

As the black men worked, they sang long into the night. Timmy couldn't hear much of the rain, but he caught one verse.

_We work all day_

_We work all night_

_We never learned to read or write_

_We're Happy Hearted Roustabouts_

From where Timmy was, their work did not seem like anything to be happy about at all. The black men and the elephants were made to work in the shivering rain and the slippery mud all night long, while the pale men were set up in a tent some way off drinking and playing cards. They clearly considered themselves superior to those who were working outside. Timmy watched as the tent began to take form, but from the corner of his eye, he saw one elephant slip and nearly crush one of the workers, luckily no one was hurt. It was only when the big top was up, that both worker and elephant were allowed to rest.

Timmy was appalled at what he just saw. He walked back to where Izzy was dozing off, his eyes closed behind his straw hat..

"Come on, let's settle down for the night. I don't think the falcons will try anything in this weather."

"Izzy… do you think there's any hope for us?"

"How do you mean?"

"There's just a lotta prejudice every where, I sometimes wonder if we have a hope of getting our dignity back."

"Don't be melodramatic, Timmy. Brock knows what he's doing. If there's one thing I know we're gonna win this."


	8. Political Advice

Chapter 7

Political Advice

Meanwhile, Alba the barn owl was waking up. She was not feeling great about herself, her attempt to appeal for the crows was a complete disaster and she knew it.

Ever since she was a chick, she had been fascinated by the history of the crows, something which made her very unpopular amongst her brothers and sisters. She began reading books on crows and the events that ultimately led to their exile. She knew that to find out what was true about them, she was going to have to read between the lines. Some books described the crows as ill omens, some described them as cannibalistic monsters whilst others were slightly more to the point about what was believed to have happened at the time.

Then she found a book that caught her eye, "The Injustice of the Crows" by Henrick Graymore. Graymore was a heron who was around at the time of the exile and was considered at the time, the wisest bird who ever lived. He was a famous historian, well known for his more famous works, "The Noble Owls and Falcons" and "The Vulture Civil War." He wrote "The Injustice of the Crows" because he believed that the crows were victims of blatant prejudice and wrote the book in an attempt to help other birds to see that. However Lord Otus's great grandfather openly attacked it, calling it blasphemous, an abomination of everything birds stood for. As a result Graymore lost his credibility and wrote no further books. His last noted words were: "If the world continues to be as narrow-minded as it is now, then history does indeed mean nothing."

A copy of "The Injustice of the Crows," was hard to come by, but Alba was lucky to find one, she was an avid lover of Graymore's books and she found his decision to fight against the popular beliefs of the time to be the most heroic thing any bird had ever done. It encouraged her to follow a career in the Department for the Rights of Birds. She knew there would controversy, especially since Lord Otus had always openly dismissed that department as misguided and naïve, but she was determined to see the redemption of the crows to the end.

That very day, she flew to her office. She had a plan and she was not going to let a pompous bigot ruin it, but she was not going alone. Next to her office was a door that said "P.A." She walked and saw a huge number of piles of papers on the desk, behind there was a small snoring sound.

"Flut?" she called gently. There was no answer. "Flut?" she called again. Still, no answer. She quietly crept towards the pile of paper. "FLUT!?"

"ARGH!!!" A small finch in a green suit burst through the piles of paper sending them flying in all directions. "I was here doing the paperwork, I never touched any meatloaf, I don't even like meatloaf!" He was talking so fast, it was almost a miracle that Alba understood any of it.

"Flut, calm down."

"And I want to say that my relationship with that sparrow is purely professional, nothing happened you hear me? NOTHING HAPPENED!"

"Flut!" She called, and the small finch calmed down. "Relax, although I would like to know if you've trained the paperwork to write itself for you, while you take 40 winks, that little matter will have to wait, I have a more urgent matter to discuss."

"Well, Alba," said Flut confidently. "What am I here for? Political advice, or the most charming personality in the department? Who knows?"

"Flut, can we keep to the point, please?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I know that my previous attempt to appeal to everyone for a re-trial on the crows was… a complete fiasco."

"Aw, come one, Alba," said Flut sympathetically. "It wasn't your fault, no one stands a chance against that old sourpuss. But it was a brave effort. I may not read Graymore's books as often as you do, but I know you would have done him proud."

"Thanks, Flut, but I'm not going down next time, we need a solid plan of action this time."

"Ah, solid…" Flut stroked his chin. "This is the way I see it; political squabbling amongst ourselves just isn't working in our favour any more, if there was ever a time for action, it's now. So my suggestion would be to, and this is just a shot in the dark, would be to send an ambassador, just to start some negotiations between both sides of the fence."

Alba looked at Flut proudly and said, "Flut, that is the best idea you've ever had, it's brilliant… Oh, wait Otus, has got nearly everyone against us, no one would lift a feather to help us." For a moment, she felt defeated, but she looked up with a look of resolve and said simply but determinedly, "That's why we're going."

"See, Alba, what am I here for? I've helped you find the answer with very little effort. I'll just get on with the paperwork, I should be done by lunchtime and for a minute there, I thought you said we're going."

"We are. It may not be legal but we have to set up negotiations now."

Flut stared at Alba, a frozen look on his face. "On the other wing," he said hastily, "I think we're a bit over-worked. You know, I think we need a vacation, two relaxing weeks in the sun… golf, now that's a pastime, we'll be unwinding before we realise it."

"Flut, I'm going to need you on this one. You are one of the best political advisors there is…"

And I'm advising YOU against this idea. If we're caught, Christmas may as well have come early for Otus, and don't use the flattery technique."

"It's because of you, that I've got this far. I going to need your help."

Flut hesitated, gritted his teeth and cried out, "If we live through this, you'd better sign my vacation requests."

"Good," said Alba, proudly. "To the skies." And the owl and the finch took off on what was sure to be the biggest and risky diplomatic affair in the history of the birds.


	9. Disciplinary Measures

Chapter 8

Disciplinary Measures

A few miles from the Kings tree was the old mill. It had fallen into a state of disrepair ever since the miller had died. From that time on, no one had worked there… no humans anyway. In the inner sanctums of the mill, falcons in workers attire were bringing cogs, tools, oil cans and spare parts towards a huge tarpaulin which covered something big. High above them, Lord Otus and Beak were watching, both with a look of satisfaction upon their faces.

"So my lord," drawled Beak. "What do you think?"

"I can't deny that I'm impressed," said Otus. "It must be said of you Beak, you have your moments."

"My Lord, you pay me to have my moments."

Otus chuckled. "But tell me… why did you choose an abandoned mill of all places, for the new re-education camp?"

Beak smiled and called out towards the workers, "Very well, that should be enough to be getting on with. Fifteen minutes break time and then straight back to work." The falcons immediately placed whatever they were carrying in front of the tarpaulin and flew towards the darker corner of the room. Otus and Beak flew down towards the tarpaulin. Beak looked towards his master, the smile still on his face. It was unusual to see him with half a smile on his face, never mind a whole one.

"I'm glad you asked me that question sir," said Beak. "We're both educated birds, and as we both know, there's always a select few, who don't wish to be educated. Whilst I'm sure we have nothing to fear from spitballs, paper planes and food fights in the cafeteria, there will be… riots, all provoked in a desperate and pitiful bid for freedom. Which is why I decided to choose a camp that comes complete with it's own… ahem… disciplinary measures."

He grabbed the tarpaulin and with one almighty yank withdrew it from whatever it was covering. It revealed a huge machine with a conveyor belt. At the end of the belt was a large circular saw.

Otus smiled evilly. "Oh, Beak, you truly have outdone your self."

"You're to kind my lord."

"Lord Otus!" Two falcons flew through the window. "The crows have begun to send scouts. We've only seen five leave the forest, but we can't be certain as to how many they've sent."

Otus's large golden eyes narrowed. "Ah, Brock, you've been king of the crows for a few days, and you already desire my overthrow. You always were a reckless young lad weren't you? Well, I think I'll show you how true birds place their opponents in checkmate. Beak, I want you to go to the Dark Forest and have a little chinwag with his 'Royal Highness,' show him that I'm willing to get to the point as well."

"As you wish," Instead of the usual drone in his voice, Beak's voice was cold and full of relish. He bowed before spreading his wings and flying out of the open window. Otus watched as his valet left and chuckled evilly.


	10. Paths Meet

Chapter 9

Paths Meet

Jim flew on nearing the borders Florida. He looked out towards the distant sunrise… it was beautiful. He had only just realised that this was the first time that he had fully seen the sun, as it had always been partially obscured by the trees in the forest, even during fall, the trees were so close together, you were lucky to see a patch of sky, never mind the sun. It was so beautiful to behold… it reminded him of his Judy. He would never say that out loud to his friends, they would never let him live it down…

His family… his friends… he also realised that this was the first time he had been without them in what seemed like a lifetime. As wondrous, as the sun was, he felt lonely now, wishing that he was back in the forest, with his mate and chicks.

Then he heard a screech, not too far away. Only just visible on the horizon, was a falcon and it was heading straight for him. Jim was not sure whether he had been seen or not, but he was not going to wait around to find out. He immediately dived down towards a bush. Before hiding, he stubbed his cigar out on a stone, knowing that there was either the possibility of either the smoke alerting the falcon to his whereabouts or the bush being set alight by accident. He hid in the bush and waited. After a moment, he dared himself a peek out of the bush. The falcon was flying on.

Jim paused for a moment to catch his breath. Then he heard something… voices… he was not alone. He listened for a moment.

"Do you think he's gone Alba?" came a nervous male voice.

"Yes, I think he's gone." This time, it was a female voice. "If he'd seen us we'd be arrested now."

"You know Alba," came the male voice. "Maybe this whole ambassador thing wasn't such a good idea after all. I don't even know why I thought of it, I mean I'd only just woken up, I was bound to say something stupid."

"We're not backing out of this now, Flut," said the female voice. "I'm going to put an end to the injustice once and for all, even if I have to serve a hundred life sentences until I do it."

"But what if the crows don't listen. What if they tear us apart on sight."

"If they're as honourable as Graymore said they are, they won't and I'm sure one of them will at least listen."

Jim was fascinated. He moved through the bush until he came to the source of the voices… a barn owl and a finch in political attire. The finch noticed him and began to panic at once.

"ARGH! Don't kill me! Please don't kill me! I didn't wanna be dragged into this! I'm practically a prisoner! I'll give you anything, my money, my cigarette card collection, my lunch I just wanna live!"

"Flut, do you want the falcons to hear us? Calm down!"

"Don't tell me to calm down! You don't tell me to calm down, I tell YOU to calm down! I'm your political advisor! I'm your political advisory FINCH! I have rights! And guess what… if we live through this… I'm on STRIKE… STRIKE, you hear me… STRIKE… S - T - R - I - K --"

SLAP!!!

That was all it took. Alba slapped Flut around the face with such force that he span around in mid-air for a moment, and fell to the ground.

"Thank you, Alba, I needed that."

"Is he OK?" inquired Jim.

"He's fine," said Alba. "He's just a bit over-worked."

"Well, that's great, we've met a crow," said Flut. "That's what we came out to do. So, let's fly outta here while we still have wings to fly with."

He had only just took off, when the tails of his suit snagged on a branch.

"AAARRRGGGHHH! Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to deserve this? I've always took care of you, I've had you cleaned every day!"

Jim edged towards Flut. "Look, Flap."

"My names Flut!. Oh no! I've given away my name. He'll murder me in my sleep now. I want my mommy!"

"Simmer down, I ain't gonna hurt you. I ain't gonna hurt you!"

Flut stopped yanking at the tails of his suit but was still hyperventilating. He looked towards Jim. "But you're a crow and we're… not crows. Why…"

"You ain't posed no threat to me. So I ain't gonna attack. That's not how crows do things."

Flut stared at Jim, inhaled and exhaled for a few moments… and fainted.

"I knew it," said Alba triumphantly.

"Knew what?"

"That you weren't the villains that Lord Otus tries to make us believe you are. Henrick Graymore was right about you."

"Henrick Graymore?" Jim was confused. Who was she talking about?

Alba sensed the confusion and said, "I think it's time I brought you up to date with what's gone on in the past century."


	11. The Message

Chapter 10

The Message

Back at the Dark Forest, Brock had just finished announcing his battle strategy.

"Well, Brock," called his lieutenant. "If that don't send those falcons flying back to their mamas, I don't know what will."

The crows cawed in agreement.

"OK, everyone, thank you," said Brock raising his wing for silence. "I know that with every one of us working together we can beat this enemy. Lord Otus may think that he rules the skies, but we're gonna show him different, we're gon- What was that?"

Brock had definitely heard it… the sound of rustling. There was definitely something in the branches above them.

"I'll go check it out," said a young crow who spread his wings and flew up into the trees before Brock could stop him. There was silence. Every crow was tense and on edge.

Then there came the sound of a struggle in the trees, then what sounded like a woodpecker pecking and then a blood curdling scream. The crows could not wait a second longer. But just as they were about to take off, something fell out of the trees onto the forest floor below… it was the body of the crow.

Then somebody landed in front of Brock, pulled a handkerchief out of his chest pocket and wiped his long beak. Beak turned and placed his handkerchief back in his pocket.

"Ah, hello, Brock," he said in a mockingly cheerful voice. He looked down towards the body on the forest floor. "What a shame, he seemed like a brave young chap."

"What do you want?" snarled Brock.

"Now, now I only came on behalf of Lord Otus, to congratulate you on becoming king," said Beak. "You've already inspired a fair few crows to rally behind you and follow you to victory. Oh if only you were so careful when you were younger… when you had a family."

Brocks eyes widened.

"You remember don't you?" sneered Beak. "Life was harsh and unfair, you decided to leave the Dark Forest to make your own way in the world. It's too bad you had to bring your mate with you, really, especially when she was expecting eggs. Of course we couldn't tell the king, what we planned to do once we caught up with you, he just wouldn't have allowed it. I personally would have preferred not to have done it… she was pleasant company to be with."

Something snapped within Brock, he was about to attack, but his lieutenant held him back.

"My master has admitted to me that having your mate killed and allowing you to live to suffer your mistake was the most regrettable thing he ever did in his life, so he sent me with a proposition," drawled Beak. "You know that you'll be obliterated easily. But if you surrender now, Lord Otus promises to find a way of letting you back into society. True, it will mean a few years of hard labour, but when compared to being mercilessly slaughtered, that's not to be sniffed at."

Brock raised his hands and his lieutenant let go of him. He stared Beak in the eye.

"Tell Otus, that we won't bow to his demands. Tell him we'll fight, and once the battle is won, we'll be coming for his head."

Beak simply smiled evilly and chuckled quietly. "Brock you have my guarantee that my master won't lose any sleep over that. But don't say you weren't warned." With one last look at the body of the young crow down below, he flew off without another word.

Brock's lieutenant looked down at the body. "What shall I tell his parents?" he asked.

Brock looked at his lieutenant, his face grim and said "That he was murdered in an act of cowardice and we'll have Otus's blood for his death and many others. The war begins… now!"


	12. A Prayer to the Ravens

Chapter 11

A Prayer to the Ravens

Tommy and Harry flew on towards Carolina. It was a long flight and Tommy, being the most unfit of the five, was starting to tire.

"Boy, I'm so darn exhausted."

"I know what you mean, brother," said Harry serenely. "I ain't as young as I used to be, but I get through it." Harry knew how rambunctious the others could be, but he did not care. He enjoyed their company immensely and would not have any one else for friends. In fact he was one of the few crows in existence, with the gift to tell them when they were going to far, and they would listen. Jim had always acknowledged him as the father figure of the group and they would always come to him with their problems.

"Try gliding," he said. "Just relax your wings and let the air currents do the rest."

"Ok," said Tommy anxiously. He stopped flapping his wings and…

"WHOA!"

Tommy had to flap again to get himself level with Harry.

"It ain't no good, Harry, I ain't exactly slim lined."

"Very well, we'll find somewhere to rest." Harry scanned the area looking for somewhere to land. He spotted a small house next to a running river. He pointed towards it and they both glided down towards it, landing on the fencing around the porch.

"Is that good enough for you?" inquired Harry.

"Yeah, I'll just stretch my wings and…"

He had barely finished speaking when the door opened. A man stepped out, his appearance was that of Native American. He immediately spotted the crows, who stood rooted to the spot in terror.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you," he said kindly. "There you go." He put a biscuit on the bench, took his fishing rod and went down towards the river. Tommy flew over to the biscuit.

"Tommy," called Harry. "What do you think you're doin'"

"Come on Harry, if he wanted to kill us I think he would have done it already."

Harry looked over at the river, the man seemed more interested with fishing, so he flew over to the bench. Tommy broke the biscuit in half and shared with Harry who looked around the porch. It was only then that he noticed that the porch was decorated with wooden carvings of bears, wolves, foxes and…

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. There was a wooden carving of a raven hanging just above the bench. Ravens were the ancestors of the modern crows and were considered far more wiser. Legend said that the last ravens were alive when the crows were banished, but died when they were unable to find food. However their spirits were still said to be watching and protecting the crows. Harry had always been a strong believer in that legend, even though there was nothing to show that the ravens existed. He bowed his head to the raven.

"O' honourable ravens, please guide us through what's to come, please show us an answer to our problems, please give us all a reason to believe again."

Harry looked up at the carving of the raven, and then at Tommy.

"Okay," said the fat crow swallowing the last biscuit. "Let's take to the sky."

Harry nodded, took one last look at the raven then flew off after Tommy. The man waved after them, the two crows looked back and smiled in reply.


End file.
